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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spell — letters
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fork — in a road
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spell — a short time
  16. swing — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. foot — a measure

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com